


Sweet Dreams, Hellish Nightmare

by ButtonByte



Category: Just Roll With It (Podcast)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, I swear this one is a little happier, you'll get some fluff next time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:41:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23098756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ButtonByte/pseuds/ButtonByte
Summary: You'd think that he'd at least find some peace in sleep. You'd think, but it's not the truth.Br'aad finally gets to fight back, and he fixes a mistake best he can.
Kudos: 81
Collections: Br'eakdown





	Sweet Dreams, Hellish Nightmare

You'd think that he'd at least find some peace in sleep. You'd think, but it's not the truth.

His body and eyes felt heavy, like a whole ocean's worth of water weighing him down. Finding the strength to open his tired eyes was a task all its own, a pounding headache worming its way up to his temples. 

When he finally managed the willpower to look around, he found himself in an unfamiliar scene. A small, moss-covered stone platform was the only land anywhere near him, a purple-hued void stretching as far as he could see. He slowly pushed himself to his feet, his legs feeling weak and brittle, his head spinning. He knew this was a dream- it had to be- but the aches that racked his body felt too real to ignore.

As he took in his surroundings, something caught his eye. A new stone platform, only just large enough from him to stand on, floated next to his platform, having appeared from seemingly nowhere at all. He eyed the platform suspiciously before taking a cautious step forward, placing his weight onto the rough stone. It held its position. When he looked back, the platform he was once standing on had vanished, and looking forward he saw a new stepping stone. 

The path of floating stones continued forward into the darkness, leading him deeper into the scene. The more he continued, the more enthralling the area became. Some of the stepping stones began to grow flowers and mushrooms, and the void began to be less of a void and more of an ethereal forest. Soon, he saw a platform appear that was larger than the others, one with a great oak growing from it. The tree leaned down as if weeping, and past it's dangling leaves he could see a door carved into the wood.

Pushing open the heavy oak door, he suddenly found himself in a disturbingly familiar room. The door vanished behind him as he frantically searched for an escape, but he realized it was in vain once he made eye contact with someone he had hoped to never encounter again. 

"Vengolor. It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"No... No this isn't real, you're gone- you're gone and the Storyteller locked you away-"

"He might have sealed me out of your plane, but the plane of dreams is easily manipulated."

He looked much different from his previous incarnations. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, long blond hair pulled back into a low ponytail. His outfit was a sleek red suit, and a pair of glasses balanced on his nose. His expression was unreadable to the young half-elf, but that didn't matter. He wouldn't trick him again.

"Why don't you come here, take a seat?" A chair appeared before him, placed at the opposite side of the small tea table. The godly figure placed a teacup in front of the seat, creating it from nothing at all.

The half-elf stood his ground.

The god gave him a look, somewhere between disappointment and curiosity. "You're weary. That's smart, but I have no intention of harming you, my son."

"Don't you dare call me your son." He spat his words like a snake spits venom, but it didn't seem to phase the other man. He seemed entertained if nothing else.

"Tell me, Br'aad, what is it that you fear?" He stood well over six feet tall, towering over the mortal man. As he stood the room around them shifted to a familiar scene. Rusted walls and cracked beams, stacks of wooden crates reaching to the rafters. It was the factory Br'aad had called home for years. Sylnan was standing at one end of the factory, Br'aad at the other. It was the night he'd formed a pack with the trickster god, one of the worst nights of his life.

"Do you fear to lose your brother? Or-" The scene shifted once more, to the underground cult. Brendan stood atop one of the pillars, staring down at the party- "do you fear what you might become more?"

He walked over to Sylnan's body, still laying on the altar, dead and cold. "Your brother, he's betrayed your trust. The only family you have, a child murderer. Tell me, how much does blood truly mean to you?"

"Everything."

"But, is he not your blood as well?" The world shifted, displaying a moment Br'aad didn't wish to relive. He stood over his father, battered and bloodied, fatally injured from his fall. Looking on from the outside, he saw the hideous resemblance between them, they were near copies of each other. He despised it.

"You and your father walk the same path," The room returned to the small study, the god taking a seat once more, "but I can change that."

When Br'aad looked at him again, he had a soft smile, almost paternal. He felt something tug at his heart, a longing for that look to stay. He'd never realized just how much he craved that fatherly bond...

But he knew it was a lie.

"Do you think I'll fall for that again?"

The godly figure looked almost taken aback as if he expected the half-elf to at least humor him, but he didn't. "My son, I simply wish to help you. You can trust me-"

"YOU RUINED MY LIFE!" He could feel the hot tears overflow from his eyes. He was so tired of the constant fight he was stuck in, but he wasn't about to let Ob'nockshai win. "WHY WOULD I EVER, EVER TRUST YOU AGAIN?"

As he screamed, the room around him shook, much to the surprise of himself and the god. He recalled the other's words, how the dream plane was easily changed. This was a dream, more specifically his dream. And gods damn it, he was taking control.

He stomped his foot once, then again, and once more, each impact sending a shockwave of force through the room. With his last stomp, he could feel the ground under himself give way, sending him careening into the purple-tinted void below. As he fell, he could hear the voice of his former patron calling his name, repeating it over and over, like a constant hammer pounding into his psyche, driving him mad-

He shot up, shaking with fear. He could feel tears pouring down his face, and sweat causing his clothes to stick to his skin, and...

And a gentle hand rubbing his back, a familiar voice whispering reassurance, and a pair of green eyes starring at him with great concern.

"Br'aad, it's alright, it's just me, it's Taxi, you're alright..." Taxi continued to calm him, and he let himself fall into his friend's arms. He looked up to the sky, it was still dark out.

"Why are you up? I thought Chirp was keeping watch."

"I couldn't sleep, and I'm glad I stayed awake. What happened?"

Br'aad opened his mouth to speak, but he felt the words get lodged in his throat. He hadn't told them about what Ob'nockshai had done, and he wasn't sure how much he could tell them anyway. He settled for focusing on something else.

"We need to go back to the lake."

"What?"

"I made a rash decision, we need to go back to the lake, I left something there-" He shot to his feet, stumbling towards the trees in the direction he thought the lake was. A hand grabbed his arm, keeping him from going too far.

"Woah woah woah, calm down a little. What did you leave behind?"

"My ring, the one with our family crest on it." Br'aad could feel himself becoming upset again, the tears attempting to creep their way past his eyes. "I... I was upset and I- I... I threw it into the lake. I need to get it back, I can't leave it Taxi." He looked at Taxi with pleading eyes.

The Tabaxi glanced at him, his face gentle and understanding. "Alright, we'll get your ring back. I can get us there quickly, here-" Taxi turned around, crouching down to one knee- "hop on my back."

The half-elf hesitated but climbed on. As Taxi stood back up to his full height, he sped off into the forest, expertly weaving through the trees to make it to their location. They got there in only about 20 minutes.

As they approached the lake, Br'aad could still see the clumps of hair lying in the grass. He felt guilt pooling in his stomach, He'd loved his long hair. At the same time, he was glad he didn't look like his father anymore. He hopped of Taxi's back and moved to the water's edge. It didn't seem too deep, but at the same time, it was still dark as all hell. Thankfully for them, Taxi had a plan.

Using locate object was the easy part- the ring was sitting at the bottom of the lake, near the center- retrieving it was the difficult part. The lake was only a few feet deep and with a quick cast of faerie fire, Taxi could easily see the ground. He waded into the water, having it come up to his chest at the highest. Once he caught sight of the ring, he quickly dove under, grabbing it and making his way out of the water.

When Br'aad saw Taxi exiting the lake, his family ring in hand, he felt like he might melt then and there. He rushed up to Taxi, ignoring the chill of his wet fur, and hugged him tightly. 

"Thank you."

"There's no need to thank me." Taxi handed the ring back to Br'aad, who quickly slipped it back onto his finger. "Now, I don't know about you, but I could go for some sleep right now."

"Yeah, that sounds good to me."

They walked back into the forest, both of them ready to pass out the second they returned to camp. Taxi told Br'aad a story as they traveled, a short and humorous tale about Taxi's first time attempting to climb a tree. And Br'aad smiled...

And Br'aad felt better.


End file.
